Unbeaten middleweight contender, Khamzat Chimaev has called for his June return against former undisputed champion, Robert Whittaker at UFC Saudi Arabia to feature the first-ever 10 round limit bout, between himself and the fan-favorite striker.
Chimaev, the current number eleven ranked middleweight challenger, improved to 13-0 as a professional last October in Abu Dhabi, turning in a close, majority decision win over former undisputed welterweight champion and prior pound-for-pound number one, Kamaru Usman in a short-notice clash.
And as for Whittaker, the Auckland-born contender returned from his summer knockout loss to current champion, Dricus du Plessis last summer with a February decision win over ex-title challenger, Paulo Costa.
Khamzat Chimaev calls for 10 round limit for fight with Robert Whittaker
In a now-deleted post on his official X account, Chimaev urged promotional boss, Dana White to book him the first-ever 10 round bout in the history of the organization against Whittaker at UFC Saudi Arabia.
“10 rounds let’s go first ever time let’s do it @ufc @danawhite,” Khamzat Chimaev posted on his official X account. (H/T @ChampRDS)
In a now deleted tweet, Khamzat Chimaev asked the UFC to make his fight with Robert Whittaker the first ever 10-round fight
(via. @KChimaev) #UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/pP2pMZlBBI
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) April 5, 2024
Struggling through the second round onwards amid a hang ligament injury suffered against Usman paired with apparent fatigue, Chimaev has already been warned about the potential of him “gassing” out against Whittaker in June by Hall of Fame star, Michael Bisping – even before he called for a 10 round fight.
“Automatically, if you’re in the corner of Khamzat Chimaev, you’ve got to be concerned,” Michael Bisping said. “One thing Robert Whittaker is not going to do is run out of gas. He’s a very, very experienced fighter, fighting at the highest level for a long time. Without getting into the Xs and Os, the obvious things is Khamzat always gasses.”
“He’s a tremendous force of nature, the way he takes people down and dominates them right from the opening bell,” Bisping explained. “He did the same thing against Kamaru Usman. Granted, didn’t get the finish, but he definitely did slow down. Against Gilbert Burns, same thing. He had a great round one, [rounds] two and three were kind of close. Five rounds against somebody like Robert Whittaker, if he can’t finish him early, that could be a disastrous night for him in Saudi Arabia.”
Who wins at UFC Saudi Arabia in June: Robert Whittaker or Khamzat Chimaev?